


Keeping Promises

by Sephypsycologist



Series: Growing Bitties [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bittybones (Undertale), F/M, Soft Vore, Vore, one of them fell in love, reader adopted 4 bitties, safe vore, the bitty types are based on my versions for Horrorfell and Horrortale
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-12
Packaged: 2019-09-17 05:47:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16968807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sephypsycologist/pseuds/Sephypsycologist
Summary: You adopt four Horror type bitties, and this is your life with them.





	1. The Promise

You knew what you were doing when you brought them home. The decision was well researched and you went to several training courses before walking into the shop. The bird monster behind the counter seemed alarmed when you asked four separate bitties to come live with you.

They agreed, but only to get away from the other bitties. It was very clear not one of them trusted you to actually care for them. You heard mutters of “probably a collector” and “might as well kill us now” from the two taller ones. That was fine. You knew what you were getting yourself into.

As they were all Horror bitties, you were sure they wouldn’t hurt each other, but you’d already bitty-proofed your home in anticipation of their arrival. Your room was clear of all pencils, for instance, and you’d sealed all your knives and utensils in a box at your neighbor’s house. You were ready.

Or you thought you were, anyway. As you were getting ready for bed, your Giggles bitty (you’d named him Jimmy) teleported onto your pillow, eye light blown wide and a sinister grin on his face. He whispered to you, menace dripping from his words, “i know what you’re up to, human, and i promise you, i’m gonna eat you one day.”

You were shocked, hurt even, but it had said they’d be hostile and distrustful at the start. And that promises were always serious.

He watched your face, confused at the sorrow there, and even more so when you just sighed and murmured, “Okay, Jimmy. But let’s try and get along until then.” He went back to his new bed and tried to figure out what was going on till he went to sleep.

–

Your bitties adjusted well once they knew you weren’t going to hurt them, cage them, or make them fight each other. Cecil (your Crinkle), Tracy (your Resin), and Laurel (your Mayor), all seemed to be quite pleased. But Jimmy was confused and agitated for a lot longer. He’d watch you while you worked, while you cooked, all the time, but always with this same disbelieving and perplexed face. You would recall his promise, and inside you would shudder, but outside you’d smile warmly and continue on. Just because he was brash and tried to intimidate you didn’t mean he didn’t deserve your love.

And love them you did. You cherished your time with each of them, especially when you spent one on one time with them. Cecil liked to have you to himself during baths, since his ribs were so open and he needed help getting the fuzz out of the more jagged places. Tracy preferred being with you when it was late at night and the others were asleep, watching the comedy shows and snuggled up together on the sofa. Laurel’s time was cooking time, and he excelled at it; you were so proud with his recipes. Jimmy hadn’t chosen his favored activity yet, but he seemed to be leaning toward book time. He would always inch closer, or teleport behind you or off to the side so he could see what you were reading. You didn’t mind a bit. His soft chuckles and excited squeaks of laughter were adorable, and it really made you wonder why he was so standoffish at other times.

—-

After a year, you were delighted to see your boys growing like weeds. The doctor at the bitty clinic said he was amazed you’d gotten so close to your bitties that they were growing. Horror bitties rarely ever trusted their owners enough to form such a nourishing and healthy bond. Only love and trust could make a bitty get bigger.

Already, they were all the size of a newborn human, and just kept growing. You’d had to start shopping in the baby clothes section of the stores, but it was alright. 

Their personalities had blossomed beautifully, and they were all four eager to learn. Even Jimmy had calmed and grown closer to you, though he was about an inch behind everyone else.

As fast as they were growing, it was about another three months before they were as big as four year olds. You were teaching them various things yourself, like how to multiply and divide, how to work a calculator, do taxes, lots of things they’d need to know if they ever decided to be independent. Yes, bitties needed love and trust to grow, but once they were big…you knew they’d be fine without you if they so chose.

One night, as you were drying Jimmy off after his bath (since he never did it properly himself and left wet marks all over the carpet), he got a worried look in his eye and turned away. You were concerned, “Jimmy?”

He looked back at you and had to stifle his sudden burst of nervous laughter before he spoke, “You remember what I said? ehehehe, a-about eating you? I’m gonna do it! heehee…”

Sighing, you leaned forward and kissed the warm bone just above his nasal ridge, “I remember, Jimmy. I know.” You were more concerned about his relapse in laughing. Yes, he still did it every so often, but he’d been getting better because of the calm family life. Hopefully it was just the stress of whatever made him recall that old promise.

—

“Mom, have you ever noticed that Jimmy just calls you by name?” Cecil asked as you drove him to his first try at a driver’s licence of his own. He was as tall as you now, and this thought had just popped out of his mouth halfway there. The other three were at home, doing what boys do. Which, with your boys meant perfecting the next perfect pasta recipe, writing a book review on their critic’s blog, and practicing for the next open mic comedy night at the local club.

“I have, Cecil. I think…I’m pretty sure Jimmy doesn’t see me as his mother.” You reply, already knowing the answer for this. Jimmy had never once called you anything close to ‘mom’. It was always your name, or some endearment. “sweetheart” “darling” “sugar” etc. 

“But Tracy and I do.” He continued, concerned, “and Laurel calls you Auntie just like Auntie Dumpling.” They all called the bird monster at the store where you’d adopted them that. You found it cute, and she’d given you some good advice over the years.

“I know, honey, but Jimmy’s his own man. Always has been. And I admire him for that.” You chuckle, “I don’t know what he sees me as, but he loves me just as much as you do.”

“Maybe more!” he gasps, “He’s almost as tall as Tracy now.”

You realize he’s right. You wonder why.

—

When you go home now, the house is quiet. Jimmy is the only one left with you, but you’re proud of your boys. Laurel has his own restaurant and lives in an apartment above it downtown. Tracy and Cecil, your babies, went to the big city. Cecil wants to be an actor and Tracy’s breaking into television comedy. They text daily.

But the house is ominous now with just you and Jimmy. He stares at you, his gaze almost predatory. You remember his promise so long ago. You feel your heart break. Why would he do this now? What changed, other than….the others don’t need you anymore, do they? He’s six foot now, and could easily fulfill his promise without much hassle.

Still, you say hello with all the love you have, you kiss his skull as he types away at his latest crime novel and hear the usual soft laugh. His laughter isn’t cold, even when he’s doing that disturbing stare. It’s warm and indulgent, as always once he began to trust. Even the ones he does involuntarily are gleeful. Well, you think, as you prepare to open the door for another night, at least he’s happy even if he is being..odd.

You freeze when you open the door and the house is dark and silent. “Jimmy?” You call, knowing he’s here. He never leaves without telling you first, or leaving a note and a light on. No answer. You come in cautiously, locking it behind you and setting your things down. Worried, you head into your room to get comfortable and yelp when the door slams behind you with a surprising red glow. Magic. He’s home and keeping his eye off to hide in the pitch darkness.

“it’s time, babe.” Jimmy’s gritty voice purrs out as his eye beams out of the dark suddenly, revealing him sitting on your bed, “ya remember, heheheh, remember what i told ya? when ya got me?”

There are tears in your eyes that you can’t help, but you answer, “Yes.”

He stands and comes over, boney hands gripping softly on your shaking shoulders, “well, it’s about time i keep my word.”

“I,” you have to swallow your tears to keep talking, “I hope I did a good job raising you and the others. I love you, Jimmy.” There’s still water on your face, dang it. You’re terrified. You hope he’ll make it quick.

“you did, sugar.” He’s whispering now, stroking your hair back with one hand and inches from your face, “best three years of my life, hehehe. but it’s time to move on to something better, heh, and i have to keep my promises.”

You nod, and freeze when he kisses the tears from your cheeks. His sockets are closed and he leans in, “just close your eyes for me.” And you do, expecting not to open them again.

There’s his hands again, holding you still despite your weak knees. When had he gotten so strong? And then you feel wetness on your face and warmth over the top of your head, like putting on a winter hat fresh out of the washing machine. You feel yourself being lifted slightly, arms pinned to your sides by that firm grip. He pushes you forward and the wetness slips down over your whole face. You feel his teeth on your neck and that’s what clues you in to the fact he’s swallowing you whole and alive. On the one hand, you’re relieved you aren’t dying right now. On the other hand, you realize your death might be slow and painful instead and that sends the tears falling faster.

Feeling his tongue flex under your face, you choke back a sob as Jimmy swallows you. He’s being careful, though, you notice, his sharp teeth never raking your skin or tearing your clothes. That strikes you as odd, that he didn’t bother taking off your clothes, but maybe he was going to be kind enough to let you keep your modesty in your last moments. He always was shy about nudity.

As you slowly slide down his throat, you try to remember the happy moments of these three years. When Jimmy first learned to write, when all three of the boys had made you a cake (badly) for your birthday that first year, how much you’d loved tracking their growth on that silly giraffe chart on your bedroom door…you’d never taken it down, even when all of them were taller than that. Wherever you went after you died, you hoped you’d be able to watch over the boys. Jimmy would take care of texting Cecil and Tracy, you knew that. He loved his brothers fiercely.

And Laurel would be over Saturday. You’d forgotten about that. You hoped he wasn’t too upset at the news. He’d been so stressed since that racist critic incident.

You almost didn’t notice that you’d hit bottom, curling in on yourself as more of you slid down into the tight, soaking confines. His stomach was warm, and bright, the glow of his scarlet magic wrapped around you like velvet throw. How would this happen, anyway? You could breathe, for now, and magic didn’t make acid…so you supposed he’d just sap the energy out of you until you died of exhaustion? That was alright as a way to go, you thought, still shuddering in fear. Just go to sleep and not wake up. Peaceful.

Jimmy sighs above you and you wrap your arms around yourself. At least he’s not gloating or laughing at you. He’s laughing, yes, but you know that laugh. He’s happy and pleased with himself, but in a soft way. It’s a shy sort of triumph, like when he got his first acceptance letter from a publisher. Stars, you hadn’t gotten to read his book he was working on. Maybe you’d get to see it over his shoulder in the afterlife.

The fear and crying, soft as it was, took its toll, and you felt yourself drifting off. “Goodbye, Jimmy,” you muttered, barely sensing him rubbing at you in response before sleep claimed you.

–

Jimmy was laying on your bed an hour later, still amazed you’d let him do this. You were sleeping deeply, and he could feel your every breath and movement. “i hope they let me do it again later….heehee~”

His fingers traced over your form tenderly, a soft maroon blush over his cheekbones. He’d never harm you, not now, but he was a skeleton of his word. So when he’d regretted what he’d said, when he realized his anger had gotten the better of him, he’d had to find another solution. He kept his word, he did eat you, but you were safe and alive, and would be staying that way so long as he was alive. He’d never seen you as a mother. No, no, no, you were his soulmate. The fact the other three did see you that way confused him, but to each their own. But you were so attractive, so smart and witty and understanding…he just couldn’t. So doing this, something so intimate as sharing his body with you, had been his way of proposing a deeper match. He was big now, big enough to stand up to anyone who tried to take you from him. And big enough to not be paralyzed at the thought of confessing his feelings. He’d done as much as he’d kissed your tear-stained cheeks.

Stars, he hopes you’ll understand and forgive him for scaring you. He should have explained it better, should have just told you about magic not processing the living, about being in love with you but….he could only be good with words on paper, not out loud. So he falls asleep, half nervous and half elated that in the morning, you’ll still be there, souls so very close to each other. And maybe you’ll listen to him blunder on about his feelings, too.


	2. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laurel walks in on a big mess.

You wake up to someone shaking you.

“babe?” Jimmy’s familiar voice brings you closer to full function, “c’mon, wake up. ‘s time for you ta get ready for bro to come home. i know how much ya hate to have an messy house when he comes.”

You go to stretch and find your movement restricted. Wait….the world was red. You…were alive. That wasn’t a nightmare but you were still alive. And it was morning.

“Jimmy?” You feel the fear return, and the tears. You’re still groggy so everything is more intense. “What…why did you?”

He swears, then sighed, “i had ta keep my word and this was the only way. a-and, heeeeeeheehee,” Jimmy glares and clamps a hand over his mouth for a minute, though you feel the laugh shaking around you. “babe, i did this to be closer to ya.”

“But you said-”

“did i ever say i’d hurt you, sweetheart?” he interrupted, worried and pleading.

You blinked the tears clouding your vision and shook your head, “no. and you didn’t.”

He sighs and leans back on the pillows. He’d stayed in your room, in your bed. “of course i didn’t. but you didn’t know that would be the case, did you? sh-shoot.” He stops himself from swearing again. He knows you don’t like it. “babe, i’m trying to confess here and i’m not good at it.”

“Confess what?” You’re confused and worried.

Jimmy whimpers slightly, as he always did when he was embarrassed, and you realize what he’s getting at, “So you….”

“yeah.” His reply is barely a squeak, and he’s not looking down at you anymore. “i um….i’ve been working up the courage to tell you for a long time but the guys got in the way.”

A lot makes sense now, the lingering glances, the shyness about your body, the fact he made the heroine in his novels sound a lot like you….he’d been pining after you for a long time.

“Let me out, Jimmy. I want to talk to you face to face,” you state.

You can almost feel his soul sink, the magic around you dimming significantly, “oh…ehhehe, okay. um…heehee, just a second.”

He unzips the magic over your head and you pop out into fresh air. Not that the air you’d been getting was bad in any way, but it was obviously charged with magic. It takes you a moment to crawl out and you have to have a minute or two to pull yourself together while he rezips himself behind you. He’s upset, but you can’t deal with this right now. “I’m….I’m going to go get a shower and some fresh clothes. We’ll talk while I clean for Laurel.”

Jimmy doesn’t reply, but he teleports away. You head to the bathroom and turn the water on for a long warm shower to sort out your thoughts.

\---

Laurel opened the door and stepped inside, “AUNTIE? BROTHER? WHERE ARE YOU?”

His beloved Auntie came out of her room, looking tired.

You were tired, in fact, but you beamed when your tallest baby came home, “Laurel!” He was easily able to hold you as you rushed to him, swept around in a circle by momentum and earning a pleased chuckle from him.

“AUNTIE, REALLY, I HAVE ONLY BEEN GONE A MONTH AND YOU ALREADY ACT LIKE YOU HAVEN’T SEEN ME IN YEARS.” He looked around, confused, “AND WHERE IS MY GOOD FOR NOTHING BROTHER?”

“Jimmy…” you look down and fidget a bit. How to tell him? “He’s um…he’s been out for two days now.”

“TWO DAYS?!” Laurel glared around the house, as if daring the furniture to keep secrets from him, “WHAT HAPPENED? WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE HIM?”

“Um…Laurel, honey, there’s something about Jimmy-”

He snapped his attention back to you and something sparked in his sockets, “WAIT. AUNTIE, DID HE DO SOMETHING?”

You blush, whether from shame or shyness you aren’t sure. “He um…he sort of…”

“HE KEPT HIS PROMISE, DIDN’T HE?”

You jolt, “You knew?!”

“OF COURSE I KNEW, AUNTIE.” He huffed, ushering you to the sofa, making you sit on one end while he sat on the other, “JIMMY IS MY BROTHER; I KNOW ALL HIS SECRETS, EVEN HIS FEELINGS FOR YOU. I DON’T QUITE UNDERSTAND, BUT HE’S ALWAYS BEEN TURNED DIFFERENTLY THAN I.”

“Well,” you sighed and rubbed your hand through your hair, “I looked it up and it’s not unusual at all for a bitty to fall in love with their owner. So maybe he was just always that way.”

“OH HE WAS, BELIEVE ME.” Laurel crossed his arms over his chest and grumbled, “IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SO MUCH EASIER IF HE’D JUST SAID SO INSTEAD OF HAVING TO EAT YOU, THOUGH, BUT HIS WORDS ARE ONLY SO GOOD WHEN THEY AREN’T ON PAPER.”

You fidgeted with your hands, something you’d picked up from Cyril when he was younger, “I apparently didn’t take it as well as he’d hoped. I think that’s why he teleported out.”

“WELL, YES, HE’LL BE A BIT HURT AND HEARTBROKEN FOR A BIT, BUT I’M SURE ONCE YOU RETURN HIS FEELINGS, THINGS WILL BE FINE,” Laurel stated as if it was just a matter of time.

“But what if I don’t, Laurel? I…I’ve never really thought about what my relationship with Jimmy is before,” you admit, saddened.

“WHAT?! HE SPENT ALMOST THE ENTIRETY OF OUR TIME TOGETHER SHOWERING YOU IN TERMS OF ENDEARMENT!” Laurel is shocked, his jaw hanging slightly open as he stares at you.

“I….I guess I was so busy with you guys I never…I just thought he was being contrary?” You wince as Laurel facepalms, the sharp CLACK of bone on bone jarring.

“OH MY STARS, AUNTIE, YOU’RE WORSE THAN HE IS. I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT YOU’D SEEN THE SIGNS AND WERE WAITING ON THE RIGHT TIME, LIKE JIMMY WAS, BUT I GUESS IT’S WORSE THAN I THOUGHT.” He got up and brushed his shirt off, “I SUPPOSE IT IS UP TO ME, MASTER OF ROMANCE THAT I AM, TO CORRECT THIS MASSIVE BLUNDER ON BOTH YOUR PARTS.”

“Laurel! Please, don’t.” You stand, putting your hand on his arm, “I was sure I was going to die, Laurel, please….let him come back on his own and give me time to recover.”

“YOU…” There was a soft sadness in the downturn of his usual smirk, “YOU REALLY THOUGHT HE’D EVER HURT YOU? OH AUNTIE…” Laurel picked you up and held you close, “AUNTIE, HE LOVES YOU WITH ALL HIS SOUL. IT GLOWS WHEN YOU SO MUCH AS SMILE AT HIM. I DO RESPECT YOUR CHOICES,” He placed you down, then held your face delicately, “BUT PLEASE, DO NOT FEAR HIM. ANY MALICE HE HAD FOR YOU DIED THE FIRST TIME HE CALLED YOU DARLING.”

There’s a pang in your chest as the memory of that first endearment. You’d been resigned to him calling you human, as he had for the past three weeks, but then…that confusion and doubt suddenly lifted from his face as you read to the four of them and Jimmy had asked, “can you teach us to read, darling?” It was soft and shy, and now that you think of it, so very clearly the cautious question of someone who’s just realized they’re in love.

Laurel sees the recollection in your face, and smirks, “GOOD. NOW, I WILL GO TALK TO HIM, SINCE I KNOW WHERE HE’S LIKELY TO HAVE GONE, AND SEE IF I CAN’T GET HIM TO CALM DOWN. AND I WILL! MAKE! THIS! RIGHT!” He cackled softly as he bowed, then rushed out the door again.

Some things never change.

—

Laurel drove his lovely red car (IT’S NOT OLD YOU DOLT IT’S CLASSIC) to the local bookstore, ironically called The 451 Club. He sighed and got out. It was open 24/7, with a coffee machine in the back for the college kids who wanted an off campus option for studying so they didn’t see people or those night shift bookworms. Like his brother, most days, but this was one of the places he hid even in the day.

Walking in, he gave a nod to the clerk at the cash register, who knew him well by now. Striding into the far corner, he found Jimmy, curled up in an armchair and tittering to himself, a cup of coffee on the little end table beside him along with a book called “So You Need to Move Out Today”

“Brother,” he said softly, using his most level tone.

Jimmy jolted out of his private hell and his eye light burned brightly in the dim corner, frightened and slightly unhinged, “b-bro? ehehehehee, you came. ahhahaha. you….you heeheeehee, you gonna dust me?”

“No.” Laurel knelt to be even with the low chair and pulled Jimmy against his chest, “Jimmy, I came to help you. Auntie said you’d been gone for two days after your confession and…well…I was worried.”

The slightly smaller skeleton melted into his brother’s arms and shook, “p-paps, please….”

“Shhh, Sansy, shhh. It’s okay.” It hurt Laurel that his brother was so destroyed inside that he needed to revert to their Before names. That he was giggling and shaking in his arms like he had those long years before they were found and taken care of in the store. 

“i-i didn’t mean, hehehehehe, d-didn’t mean ta scare her, paps. hahaha, she hates me now. heeheehee, she probably wants me dusted!” Jimmy clung to his brother and buried his face in the soft brown sweater Laurel had on.

“Sansy, please,” Laurel sighed, stroking Jimmy’s back, “She does not. She looked exhausted when I came home, so you know she’s been waiting up to make sure you get home safe. Just like when Tracy and Cyril forgot to text when they got to their new apartment.”

“b-but she thought…stars, pap, she hehehehehehehe, she thought she was g-geeheeehee gonna die!” Jimmy was doing his best to keep his volume down, despite the laughs he so badly wanted to go away. “a-and I haven’t been….beeheehee, been able to…to hahaha, i haven’t been able to stop thinking about it!”

“How about we go ready my dating manual and you tell me the whole story?” Laurel said calmly, “I’ll even get Tracy and Cyril on Discord so we can all discuss it.”

“please?” Jimmy’s voice was so broken and desperate, Laurel couldn’t have said no even if he’d wanted to.

——

“You ate her, without warning or reassurance, in a dark room after saying THAT?” Cyril’s voice squeaked out.

“I ahhahaha I thought it was heehhehehehehe sultry!!!” Jimmy whimpered, holding a pillow tighter over his growling stomach. He hadn’t been able to stop it since he got to the main part of the story.

“well, bro, you sure know how to terrify women,” quipped Tracy.

“That is not the point, brothers, and you know it. We have to help him FIX it now,” Laurel tried to steer them back on topic as he handed Jimmy a plate of risotto. “Eat, brother, while we try to figure this out for you.”

“do I have ta?” Jimmy looked almost sick as he looked at the pasta.

“YES.” all three of the others stated at once.

“okay okay…ain’t like i’ve survived worse,” came the response.

“FIRST OF ALL,” Cyril was in a private space now so he could talk at his usual volume, “HE NEEDS TO GO HOME AND APOLOGIZE AGAIN! MAMA KNOWS HIM AS WELL AS SHE KNOWS ANY OF US AND SHE’LL FORGIVE HIM SURELY!”

“YES, I AGREE,” Laurel nodded, “AND WHILE THEY ARE GETTING USED TO EACH OTHER AGAIN, WE’LL COOK UP SOME SURE FIRE WAYS TO EASE THIS TRANSITION FROM CARETAKER AND CHARGE TO DATING.”

“still think it’s pretty funky, personally, but i do think their souls match up alright,” Tracy hummed after his statement, “but then again, people date their nurses all the time. might not be a bad match on that level either. i’m in. definitely prime material for my next routine.”

“BROTHER YOU ARE NOT USING OUR FAMILY CRISIS IN YOUR COMEDY!” came Cyril’s retort.

The boys argued and plotted for a long time after.

—–

You jump when you hear the slight puff of magic as Jimmy teleports home. At first, you run toward his room but then you freeze. He’s in there. The skeleton who swallowed you whole and never once explained that you’d be safe, and then claimed to love you. Who you’d nurtured for three years and never even seen his crush until hindsight. What were you to him? And what was he to you now?

Gathering your courage, you knock on the door, “J-Jimmy?”

You hear a yelp, and muffled, strained laughter. Oh no. Then he opens the door, red magic sweat slipping across his skull, “u-uhm…hehehehehe, um, hi.”

Staring up at him, you can’t find your words, but he doesn’t either. He stands there eye light small and shaking, sweating and trying not to giggle. If he was having this much trouble not laughing, he was very upset. But he looked as tired as you were, so it was clear neither of you had slept. 

“Jimmy, I-”

“babe, i-”

You both try to talk at once, and stop, ending up making nervous chuckles at one another, though his change to giggling.

“go ahead, doll,” he mutters when he gets himself under control, if only marginally.

“Jimmy, I’m….I’m not rejecting you. I just need some time to calm d-down and think about what you’ve said and…a-and done and…just don’t run away again?” You don’t want to see him like this, not in the scared animal way or the worried caregiver way. You want to strip everything down and really look at what you think of Jimmy as a person. But it’s so hard when half of you wants to hug him and the other half wants to escape.

He brightens, marginally, but can’t stop a few giggles before replying, “s-sure thing. a-and I’m sorry…hahaha, sorry sorry. Um…y’know for…for scaring ya and not bein’ clear and…heeeeeeeheehehehehe, sorry sorry, um, for bein’ a coward about tellin’ ya things.”

Neither one of you actually says everything you want, but you leave it there. It’s going to take a long time before either is ready to actually sit down and hash this out.

—-

Life is awkward now. You try to do as you always do but there’s a hesitation in the both of you. You don’t want to upset him further, and he doesn’t want to make any moves against you. The pain of not being as connected is stifling.

But despite it all, you’re so glad he’s home.

You hadn’t been sleeping since the incident but knowing he wasn’t out in the world alone calmed you enough to at least get a few hours. Whatever he’d done, you still loved him in some fashion. You knew that well enough. The proof was in front of you. There’s no way a bitty could grow so tall, especially a Sans type, without a powerful love from someone else.

But Jimmy was feeling things worse than you, clearly. He was jumpy all the time, and his laughing fits were worse and more frequent. You’d hear his bones rattling, and he wasn’t eating the same as he used to. He’d always been the big eater of the family, but now he was eating less every day. It scared you, more than anything else.

After a long while, you finally get up your nerve, “Jimmy, we need to talk about….our situation. Now.”

“n-now?” he tried to cover up cackles, but shook them out, “sure.”

–

This was bad. He’d been holding back for so long now but she was just…j-just right there!

Ugh, and there went another drool dribble. Jimmy wiped his mouth while she collected herself.

It has been so subtle at first he hadn’t really noticed, just written it off as the rejection and panic. But it was undeniable now. He’d made a huge mistake eating her that first time, because his magic was now demanding another round. Another sweet chance to connect directly to her, to feel her soul flutter just a few inches from his own and feel that soothing weight inside again. And she’d be safe. Stars, when he’d realized nobody could touch her without going through him first, literally, it was like that time he’d taken a pain killer instead of the usual aspirin (why’d she even keep those around, anyway? environmental stuff?). He was dizzy and elated and had slept better than he’d ever done before in his life.

But he was supposed to be listening now.

“Jimmy, I….I’m sorry if I hurt you before. I was…I did need time, but I could have been more conscious of your feelings.” She was sad, and it killed him to know she blamed herself for this. He was the idiot, Laurel had said as much when he’d told the story the first time. He really should have read that goofy dating manual more closely.

“no, i get it. i….ehehehe, i was a jerk. m-mahahhaha major goof up, and i shoulda told you…j-jeeheeheheh, s-sorry, um, just said you’d be safe and everything. y-yeah,” stupid laugh. Stars he wished he could just be normal. oh no…that cramping again.

She tried to say something but the growling drowned her out. Oh geeze it hurts so bad. A few years’a bein’ fed regular and he couldn’t stand this. But that’s the rub, isn’t it? It’s not food he’s wanting, needing so bad.

And she cringed. That hurt, bad. How were they ever going to get through this if his stupid stomach wouldn’t just SHUT UP?!

But…stars, she’s so close. He could just reach out and- no. Not this time. He’s using his words like a big boy now.

“babe, i have to say i gehehehehe, oh stars, i can’t do this anymore. yeah, i love you, and i know you’re scared, and i ahah i can’t help this. my magic wants you back, even if it’s just for a bit, please. hahahahahahaha oh stars i need you. c-can’t ehehehehe shit, even eat anymore cause it just doesn’t feel right. ahahaha, just j-just let me take you in again?” The laughing is getting worse and he just can’t stand the painful tightness coming with the growls anymore.

She yelped and backed away, making her chair tip over in the suddenness. oh no…not again.Jimmy wasn’t staying for that rejection again.

—

You saw him vanish and felt the fear melt off into shame. Despite knowing how hard he’s trying, how stressed and skittish he’s reverted to being, even with the reassurances and reminders from your other boys, you just hurt Jimmy again without meaning to.

It haunts you for hours. But it makes you think. Have you forgiven him for what apparently were miscalculations of a besotted young skeleton?

Yes, you have. Absolutely.

Were you going to try to go forward with him now, change the dynamic and see what lay ahead together?

You didn’t know, but you knew you couldn’t imagine your life without him in it anymore. Never ever. He was all the joy in your home and without him it was cold and empty. You’d found that out.

Had you let instinct rule over what your soul knew was true?

Yes. And you don’t ever want to do it again.

Going to his room, you open the door and are relieved to find him curled up in a ball on the bed. He doesn’t even look up when you enter, just tightens around himself and whimpers. He must be in pain from how empty he is inside, and you know how you’re going to fix that.

He’s breathless from the agony and the intense laughter that came with the ruby tears sliding down his face, but you wrap your body around his as best you can as you slid onto the bed with him. “Jimmy, I’m so sorry. It’s instinct, I swear. I know you won’t hurt me. I love you, I trust you.”

He clings to your arms around him and rolls his head against your legs. The laughing isnt’ stopping and you feel your soul pushing against your chest in desperation to help.

“If you want to, you can eat me. I know it’s safe now, and you need it. And I need you, no matter what,” You lean down and plant soft kisses against his skull, skirting the missing quarter with delicate tenderness. You wanted to do this always, every day, forever. Stars you couldn’t lose him.

His stomach gurgles loudly and his laughter stops to be replaced by a whimper, “that answers that…eheheh.” He slowly leans up, looking tired and cheekbones slightly stained red from the tears, but none the less grateful.

You close your eyes, and this time you know what’s going on when the warmth soaks the top of your head.

—

Jimmy shudders softly as he moves her in closer before taking a soft swallow to make sure she isn’t going to struggle this time. Not that she did last time but he chocks that up to terror and panic. This time, though…her arms are loose, and her pulse is only a little faster than it should be. And the moment her chest is in his mouth everything eases. Her soul is in there, somewhere, and his magic instantly responds, calming and settling, the pain easing more and more the deeper she’s drawn into his body.

There’s the lovely, giddy, dizzy feeling, and with a last hard gulp she’s down entirely. He’s stuck leaning on his elbows, feet at the head of his bed, but he doesn’t care. All that anxiety and pain is draining away, the laughter he hates so much ceasing for a few blessed seconds before settling back into his more controlled state.

And then she began moving. He groaned softly as her hands began cautiously exploring around her, “Jimmy? Did it work?”

“y-yeah…mmmn that feels great,” his whole being was calm and fuzzy feeling. “no more pain.”

After a few minutes, she asks, “So can we finish our talk?”

“oh,” he can only vaguely recall it at this point, “sure.”

“Jimmy, Laurel said you’d had feelings for me since pretty early on. Is that true?” Oh no, he was awake now. Well, sort of, he was aware but that contented sleepiness still floated around the edges of his mind.

“u-um…yeah. ehehe, i um…kinda have been waiting for you to notice but it just wasn’t happening,” he explained, finally just laying back flat and trying to relax despite the subject matter. “not that smart, eh?”

She sighed and began rubbing the walls gently. He couldn’t help purring. “I’m sorry then, Jimmy. I was in Mom mode so hard I didn’t understand. That had to be hard.”

“it was but…I , ehehe, i guess you get it now,” Jimmy stared at the ceiling, idly rubbing circles against her legs through the gel form of his magic as it cradled around her.

“Yeah, I do,” she was relaxing more now, and it healed some of the hurt that had still been festering in his heart. She really did trust him not to hurt her. “But I’m still sorry. And, well, I know how you feel, but I’m not sure exactly what I feel. But I know you’re very important to me, Jimmy, and I never ever want to come home without you here again.”

He nodded, murmuring, “m’kay, babe. i won’t leave ya again,” as the sleepy feeling began to overwhelm him, “c’n we sleep now? jus’ a minute?”

She laughed….gosh he loved that sound, “Okay. Just for a little while.”

He began to snore almost instantly.


End file.
